Query task processing based on memory allocation and performance criteria

ABSTRACT

Described are methods, systems and computer readable media for query task operations based on memory allocation and performance criteria.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/161,813, entitled “Computer Data System” and filed on May 14, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Embodiments relate generally to computer data systems, and more particularly, to methods, systems and computer readable media for providing query operations to users to achieve optimal system performance and usability.

Computers are capable of managing large data sources containing numerous columns and billions of rows. Disk backed storage can provide economical storage of and access to large and growing data sources but the cost is increased input/output transactions across fragmented storage of data. Contiguous storage media more local to the processor, such as RAM, decreases input/output costs and decreases execution time, but necessitates a smaller data set. Often, the input/output and RAM memory allocation versus disk backed storage is a system administrator configuration choice that affects all users. Accordingly, a need exists for a hybrid approach that gives a user clear choices to achieve optimal performance and usability for each individual data retrieval task.

Embodiments were conceived in light of the above mentioned needs, problems and/or limitations, among other things.

Some implementations can include a system for maximizing memory and processing efficiencies in a computer system, the system comprising one or more processors, computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations can include sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer. The operations can also include creating and storing in a computer storage a plurality of data stored in column sources. The operations can further include creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to the first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage. The operations can include at the remote query processor, providing memory and processor efficient operations.

The operations can include a select query operation. The operation can include receiving a select query task for assigning to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index to the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can further include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object.

The operations can include a view query operation. The operation can include receiving a view query task for assigning to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can also include accessing in the computer memory the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The operations can include an update query operation. The operation can include receiving an update query task for assigning to a fourth table object a subset of rows from all column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fourth table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can further include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fourth table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula.

The operations can include an updateview query operation. The operation can include receiving an updateview query task for assigning to a fifth table object a subset of rows from all the column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fifth table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fifth table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The operations can also include wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.

Some implementations can include a system for appending columns in a query, the system comprising one or more processors, computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations can include sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer. The operations can also include creating and storing in a computer storage a plurality of data stored in column sources The operations can further include creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to the first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage. The operations can also include at the remote query processor, providing memory and processor efficient operations.

The operations can also include an update query operation. The operation can include receiving an update query task for assigning to a second table object a subset of rows from all column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula.

The operations can also include an updateview query operation. The operation can include receiving an updateview query task for assigning to a third table object a subset of rows from all the column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can further include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The operations can include wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.

Some implementations can include a system for processing columns in a query, the system comprising one or more processors, computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations can include sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer. The operations can also include creating and storing in a computer storage a plurality of data stored in column sources. The operations can include creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to the first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage. The operations can further include at the remote query processor, providing memory and processor efficient operations.

The operations can include a select query operation. The operation can include receiving a select query task for assigning to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index to the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can further include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object.

The operations can include a view query operation. The operation can include receiving a view query task for assigning to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can further include accessing in the computer memory the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object. The operation ca also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The operations can include wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.

Some implementations can include a method for maximizing memory and processing efficiencies in a computer system, the method comprising creating and storing in a computer storage a plurality of data stored in column sources. The method can also include creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to the first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage. The method can further include providing memory and processor efficient operations.

The operations can include a select query operation. The operation can include receiving a select query task for assigning to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can include creating and storing in the high-speed computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index to the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object. The operation can include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object.

The operations can include a view query operation. The operation can include receiving a view query task for assigning to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can include accessing in the high-speed computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The operations can include an update query operation. The operation can include receiving an update query task for assigning to a fourth table object a subset of rows from all column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fourth table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can further include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fourth table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula.

The operations can include an updateview query operation. The operation can include receiving an updateview query task for assigning to a fifth table object a subset of rows from all the column sources from the first table object. The operation can also include creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fifth table object comprising a subset of rows. The operation can further include accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fifth table object. The operation can also include storing for formulaic columns in computer storage, a formula for generating a result set for each formulaic column, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.

The method can include wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example computer data system showing an example data distribution configuration in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example computer data system showing an example administration/process control arrangement in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example computing device configured for user query task performance consideration in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example table A structure.

FIG. 4A is a diagram of example operations on a table A object.

FIG. 4B is a diagram of an example table an update propagation graph query node structure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example table t1 selection of table A.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example table t2 view of table A.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example table t3 update of table A.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example table t4 updateview of table A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is made herein to the Java programming language, Java classes, Java bytecode and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for purposes of illustrating example implementations. It will be appreciated that implementations can include other programming languages (e.g., groovy, Scala, R, Go, etc.), other programming language structures as an alternative to or in addition to Java classes (e.g., other language classes, objects, data structures, program units, code portions, script portions, etc.), other types of bytecode, object code and/or executable code, and/or other virtual machines or hardware implemented machines configured to execute a data system query.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example computer data system and network 100 showing an example data distribution configuration in accordance with some implementations. In particular, the system 100 includes an application host 102, a periodic data import host 104, a query server host 106, a long-term file server 108, and a user data import host 110. While tables are used as an example data object in the description below, it will be appreciated that the data system described herein can also process other data objects such as mathematical objects (e.g., a singular value decomposition of values in a given range of one or more rows and columns of a table), TableMap objects, etc. A TableMap object provides the ability to lookup a Table by some key. This key represents a unique value (or unique tuple of values) from the columns aggregated on in a byExternal( ) statement execution, for example. A TableMap object can be the result of a byExternal( ) statement executed as part of a query. It will also be appreciated that the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are for illustration purposes and in a given implementation each data pool (or data store) may be directly attached or may be managed by a file server.

The application host 102 can include one or more application processes 112, one or more log files 114 (e.g., sequential, row-oriented log files), one or more data log tailers 116 and a multicast key-value publisher 118. The periodic data import host 104 can include a local table data server, direct or remote connection to a periodic table data store 122 (e.g., a column-oriented table data store) and a data import server 120. The query server host 106 can include a multicast key-value subscriber 126, a performance table logger 128, local table data store 130 and one or more remote query processors (132, 134) each accessing one or more respective tables (136, 138). The long-term file server 108 can include a long-term data store 140. The user data import host 110 can include a remote user table server 142 and a user table data store 144. Row-oriented log files and column-oriented table data stores are discussed herein for illustration purposes and are not intended to be limiting. It will be appreciated that log files and/or data stores may be configured in other ways. In general, any data stores discussed herein could be configured in a manner suitable for a contemplated implementation.

In operation, the input data application process 112 can be configured to receive input data from a source (e.g., a securities trading data source), apply schema-specified, generated code to format the logged data as it's being prepared for output to the log file 114 and store the received data in the sequential, row-oriented log file 114 via an optional data logging process. In some implementations, the data logging process can include a daemon, or background process task, that is configured to log raw input data received from the application process 112 to the sequential, row-oriented log files on disk and/or a shared memory queue (e.g., for sending data to the multicast publisher 118). Logging raw input data to log files can additionally serve to provide a backup copy of data that can be used in the event that downstream processing of the input data is halted or interrupted or otherwise becomes unreliable.

A data log tailer 116 can be configured to access the sequential, row-oriented log file(s) 114 to retrieve input data logged by the data logging process. In some implementations, the data log tailer 116 can be configured to perform strict byte reading and transmission (e.g., to the data import server 120). The data import server 120 can be configured to store the input data into one or more corresponding data stores such as the periodic table data store 122 in a column-oriented configuration. The periodic table data store 122 can be used to store data that is being received within a time period (e.g., a minute, an hour, a day, etc.) and which may be later processed and stored in a data store of the long-term file server 108. For example, the periodic table data store 122 can include a plurality of data servers configured to store periodic securities trading data according to one or more characteristics of the data (e.g., a data value such as security symbol, the data source such as a given trading exchange, etc.).

The data import server 120 can be configured to receive and store data into the periodic table data store 122 in such a way as to provide a consistent data presentation to other parts of the system. Providing/ensuring consistent data in this context can include, for example, recording logged data to a disk or memory, ensuring rows presented externally are available for consistent reading (e.g., to help ensure that if the system has part of a record, the system has all of the record without any errors), and preserving the order of records from a given data source. If data is presented to clients, such as a remote query processor (132, 134), then the data may be persisted in some fashion (e.g., written to disk).

The local table data server 124 can be configured to retrieve data stored in the periodic table data store 122 and provide the retrieved data to one or more remote query processors (132, 134) via an optional proxy.

The remote user table server (RUTS) 142 can include a centralized consistent data writer, as well as a data server that provides processors with consistent access to the data that it is responsible for managing. For example, users can provide input to the system by writing table data that is then consumed by query processors.

The remote query processors (132, 134) can use data from the data import server 120, local table data server 124 and/or from the long-term file server 108 to perform queries. The remote query processors (132, 134) can also receive data from the multicast key-value subscriber 126, which receives data from the multicast key-value publisher 118 in the application host 102. The performance table logger 128 can log performance information about each remote query processor and its respective queries into a local table data store 130. Further, the remote query processors can also read data from the RUTS, from local table data written by the performance logger, or from user table data read over NFS.

It will be appreciated that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is a typical example configuration that may be somewhat idealized for illustration purposes. An actual configuration may include one or more of each server and/or host type. The hosts/servers shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., 102-110, 120, 124 and 142) may each be separate or two or more servers may be combined into one or more combined server systems. Data stores can include local/remote, shared/isolated and/or redundant. Any table data may flow through optional proxies indicated by an asterisk on certain connections to the remote query processors. Also, it will be appreciated that the term “periodic” is being used for illustration purposes and can include, but is not limited to, data that has been received within a given time period (e.g., millisecond, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, etc.) and which has not yet been stored to a long-term data store (e.g., 140).

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example computer data system 200 showing an example administration/process control arrangement in accordance with some implementations. The system 200 includes a production client host 202, a controller host 204, a GUI host or workstation 206, and query server hosts 208 and 210. It will be appreciated that there may be one or more of each of 202-210 in a given implementation.

The production client host 202 can include a batch query application 212 (e.g., a query that is executed from a command line interface or the like) and a real time query data consumer process 214 (e.g., an application that connects to and listens to tables created from the execution of a separate query). The batch query application 212 and the real time query data consumer 214 can connect to a remote query dispatcher 222 and one or more remote query processors (224, 226) within the query server host 1 208.

The controller host 204 can include a persistent query controller 216 configured to connect to a remote query dispatcher 232 and one or more remote query processors 228-230. In some implementations, the persistent query controller 216 can serve as the “primary client” for persistent queries and can request remote query processors from dispatchers, and send instructions to start persistent queries. For example, a user can submit a query to 216, and 216 starts and runs the query every day. In another example, a securities trading strategy could be a persistent query. The persistent query controller can start the trading strategy query every morning before the market open, for instance. It will be appreciated that 216 can work on times other than days. In some implementations, the controller may require its own clients to request that queries be started, stopped, etc. This can be done manually, or by scheduled (e.g., cron) jobs. Some implementations can include “advanced scheduling” (e.g., auto-start/stop/restart, time-based repeat, etc.) within the controller.

The GUI/host workstation can include a user console 218 and a user query application 220. The user console 218 can be configured to connect to the persistent query controller 216. The user query application 220 can be configured to connect to one or more remote query dispatchers (e.g., 232) and one or more remote query processors (228, 230).

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example computing device 300 in accordance with at least one implementation. The computing device 300 includes one or more processors 302, operating system 304, computer readable medium 306 and network interface 308. The memory 306 can include remote query processor application 310 and a data section 312 (e.g., for storing ASTs, precompiled code, etc.).

In operation, the processor 302 may execute the application 310 stored in the memory 306. The application 310 can include software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations for query task operations based on memory allocation and performance criteria in accordance with the present disclosure.

The application program 310 can operate in conjunction with the data section 312 and the operating system 304.

Large data systems can be dynamic in nature with continuing steams of data being added by the second or even the microsecond. Tables can become quite large and cumbersome to query, putting a burden on system resources, such as memory and processors during query operations. A system's processor and memory usage can benefit from selecting some commands over other commands depending on the memory and processing requirement of each command in relation to the size of the data sets and the type of operation to be performed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example table A. A table A object 402 can be created by designating data columns and a source map 404 to a column source storage 406 column sources (408, 410, 412, 414) for populating the columns. For example, the data columns for the table A object 402 can be created as column A, column B, column C, and column D (not shown). The data sources for columns A-D can be located in a column source storage 406. The column source storage 406 can be any type of storage including disk backed, RAM, virtual (functions), or the like, or a mixture of types. The column data storage 406 can contain an individual column source for table data columns. For example, the column data storage 406 contains 4 column sources, column source A 408, column source B 410, column source C 412, column source D 414.

A column source can be static or dynamic. A static column source can be a column source that contains static data that does not change over time. A dynamic column source can be a column source that can be created with or without an initial set of data and can dynamically change the set of data. For example, a dynamic column source can add one or more rows of data, delete one or more rows of data, modify the content of one or more rows of data, or re-index existing data. For example, column source A 408 can contain stock ticker symbols such as “AAPL” and “SPY.” Column source B 410 can contain time stamps for the stock ticker symbols and column source C 412 can contain dates. And column source D 414 can contain quotes associated with the stock ticker symbols at a certain time and date. If data for all four columns is collected every millisecond, a new row of data can be added to each of the four column sources per millisecond.

A column source map 404 can be a map between a column name in a table object and the column source that provides access to data for the column, keyed by values in the table's index. Each table object can have its own column names and multiple column names across many independent table objects can be associated with one column source.

When a table object is created, metadata associated with the table can indicate which column sources to consider in a primary table construction. A user can request a table, and the mapping between column name and source name is already established. For non-primary tables, column sources can be defined based on a parent table and an operation being performed.

It will be appreciated that a query task can be used to create a table by designating the column source for each table object column. For example, the query task for creating a table A object 402, in pseudo code, can be Table A Object 402=column source storage 406 (column A=column source A 408, column B=column source B 410, column C=column source C 412, column D=column source D 414).

An index 416 to the column sources (408, 410, 412, 414) can be created when the table A object 402 is created. The index 416 can reorder the rows of data or point to the rows of data within the column sources (408, 410, 412, 414) in place of creating a copy of the column source data. Data rows in the table A object 402 can be accessed by using the index to retrieve the requested rows from the column sources (408, 410, 412, 414). For example, each row in the column sources (408, 410, 412, 414) can be numbered from 0 to the number of rows minus one. If a table A object 402 is created using the full column sources (408, 410, 412, 414), the table A object 402 index 416 would also contain numbers from 0 to the number of rows minus one. If an index 416 is created from dynamic column sources, the index 416 can change to reflect changes that occur in the column sources. For example, if one or more rows are added to a column source, rows associated to the new rows can be added to the index 416. The index can include an ordering corresponding to an ordering (e.g., a strict ordering) of the data object (e.g., table) and/or one or more of the data sources for the data object. In general, some implementations can include a computer data system that stores and retrieves data (e.g., time series data) according to strict ordering rules. These rules ensure that data is stored in a strict order and that results of a query are evaluated and returned in the same order each time the query is executed. In some implementations, the computer data system may be configured to store and retrieve data according to a total ordering (e.g., an ordering across multiple dimensions). This can provide an advantage of optimizing the query code for query execution speed by permitting a user and query process (e.g., a remote query processor) to rely on an expected ordering and eliminate a need for performing an additional sorting operation on query results to achieve an expected or needed ordering for downstream operations. It also allows data to be ordered according to the source's data publication order without necessarily including data elements to refer to for query evaluation or result ordering purposes.

It will be appreciated that a table object can be created without using the full set of column source data. For example, if a table object is created with a where clause, the index created may only contain the index numbers that match the filtering criteria. For example, if the filtering operation matches only rows from the column sources with row numbers 0, 3, and 16, then the table object index would have the same numbers 0, 3, and 16. The index numbers can also be used to reorder the data.

FIG. 4A is a diagram of a list of example query tasks on a table A object. Each query task can start with a table A object 402. The creation of a table t1 object can be a selection of columns C and D from table A object 402 with the addition of a calculated column M that can be equal to the sum of columns C and D divided by 2. This example is further discussed in FIG. 5. The creation of a table t2 object can be a view of columns C and D from table object 402 with the addition of a calculated column M that can be equal to the sum of columns C and D divided by 2. This example is further discussed in FIG. 6. The creation of a table t3 object can be an update to table A object 402 with the addition of a calculated column M that can be equal to the sum of columns C and D divided by 2. This example is further discussed in FIG. 7. The creation of a table t4 object can be an updateview to table A object 402 with the addition of a calculated column M that can be equal to the sum of columns C and D divided by 2. This example is further discussed in FIG. 8. Each of these query tasks can present somewhat similar data from a table A object 402. But each query task can have different effects on query execution performance and allocation of memory. Examples of these effects and associated advantages or disadvantages are discussed in FIGS. 5-8 below.

FIG. 4B is a diagram of an example table A object update propagation graph query node structure 430. A node can be created for table A object 402 as described above in FIG. 4 and the child nodes can be created for query tasks executed using the table A object 402 as a base table. A table t1 object node 432, a table t2 object node 434, a table t3 object node 436, and a table t4 object node 438 are child nodes to the table A object 402 node that can be created by the respective query tasks as described in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 provides further detail to the table t1 selection of the table A object 500. A user can create a query task in the form of t1=A.Select (“C”, “D”, “M=(C+D)/2”) 502 from a remote user query application 220. The query task can be received by a remote query processor 230. The remote query processor 230 can execute the query task to create a table t1 object 504, an index 516, a column source map 506, and a column source storage 508 area which can contain a column source C copy in memory 510, a column source D copy in memory 512, and a column source M in memory 514. Column source M in memory 514 can be a calculated column source from a formula applied to column source C copy in memory 510 and column source D copy in memory 512. In this example, a column source M does not exist in the column source map 404 or the index 416 or in column source storage 406.

As explained in FIG. 4, changes in the column sources (408, 410, 412, 414) can be indexed to a table A object (402). Because a table t1 object 504 retains a connection to the table A object 402, changes to column source C 412 and column D 414 can be propagated respectively to column source C copy in memory 510 and column source D in memory 512, which can cause column source M in memory 514 to be recalculated for the changed rows. If required, the index 516 index is also updated to reflect the changed rows.

It will be appreciated that an informed user can use a “select” query task to create a new table object and move designated column sources, or parts thereof, into memory to achieve increased performance on calculations such as M and for any further query tasks based on the table t2 object 604 because column sources for table t2 object 604 are maintained in memory as opposed to possibly fragmented column source storage 406. It will also be appreciated that a user can limit the use of memory by limiting the number of columns brought into the column source storage 508 by only requesting the preferred columns in the select query task 502. It will be further appreciated that a “select” query task can be useful to force a single evaluation of expensive formula columns.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example table t2 view of table A 600. A user can create a query task in the form of t2=A.View (“C”, “D”, “M=(C+D)/2”) 602 from a remote user query application 220. The query task can be received by a remote query processor 230. The remote query processor 230 can execute the query task to create a table t2 object 604, a connection to a table A object index 416, a column source map 606 to column source C 412 and column source D 414. A column M formula 608 can be created in column source storage 406.

In contrast to the table t1 selection of table A 500 example in FIG. 5, the View query task 602 does not make a copy of the chosen columns, column source C 412 and column source D 414 or make a calculation and store column source M in memory 514. In contrast to creating a column source storage 508 in memory, the table t2 view of table A 600 example creates a column source map 606 to map to the existing column source storage 406 column sources 408, 410. Also in contrast in the example, a new index is not created. Instead of creating a new index, the table t2 view of table A reuses index 416 because there are no new column source copies that would require a new index.

It will be appreciated that an informed user can use a “view” query task to create a new table object and use existing column sources to minimize the use of memory for column source storage. There can also be use cases where view is much faster than select. For example, if the column is only accessed for a small fraction of a number of rows, a formula column can be much faster than allocating a giant column and filling in all the values. A view can be used for circumstances where users do not want to allocate or copy data into memory or evaluate all rows of a column source.

It will also be appreciated that a view can be useful if a user is only accessing the column source once. For example, with a where clause, a user can create a view column, then iterate through the view column and then remove the view column. A view/select command combination can require a formula to be evaluated, then the select can additionally require storage of a value and the allocation of memory for the value whereas a view command followed by a where clause would not and thus, can be more efficient.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example table t3 update of table A. A user can create a query task in the form of t3=A.Update (“M=(C+D)/2”) 702 from a remote user query application 220. The query task can be received by a remote query processor 230. The remote query processor 230 can execute the query task to create a table t3 object 704, a connection to a table A object index 416, a column source map 706 to column source A 408, column source B 410, column source C 412, and column source D 414. A column source M 708, a column M array copy 712, and a redirection index 710 can be created in column source storage 406.

In contrast to the table t1 selection of table A 500 example in FIG. 5 and the table t2 view of table A 600 example in FIG. 6, the Update query task 702 does not provide for a selection of column sources because an update includes all column sources of the table A object 402 and a column can be added and kept in memory with an update, thus not cause a wasteful copying of the original columns because the original columns can be reused with no modifications. In contrast to the table t2 view of table A 600 example, the table t3 update of table A 700 example adds a column source M 708, a column M array copy 712 and a redirection index 710. The column source M 708 can be backed by a array without containing any data itself in contrast to M array copy that can be a copy with data. The redirection index can permit the system to make the table index sparse while having a dense backing array for memory efficiency. The cost for maintaining a redirection index can be recovered by a reduction in memory requirements, and the ability to reuse all of the other column sources.

It will be appreciated that an informed user can use an “update” query task to create a new table object and use existing column sources to minimize the use of memory for storage. The update query task may be used to create a new table that is the same as an existing table with one more new columns added. The columns are constructed by allocating memory and filling in the values. There are some circumstances when this may be the most efficient way to perform a calculation. For example, if the column is very computationally expensive and must be accessed many times, allocating RAM and doing the evaluation once may be advantageous for speed, at the cost of RAM and the initial calculation time.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example table t4 updateview of table A 800. A user can create a query task in the form of t4=A.UpdateView (“M=(C+D)/2”) 802 from a remote user query application 220. The query task can be received by a remote query processor 230. The remote query processor 230 can execute the query task to create a table t4 object 804, a connection to a table A object index 416, a column source map 806 to column source A 408, column source B 410, column source C 412, and column source D 414. A column M formula 708 can be created in column source storage 406.

In contrast to the table t1 selection of table A 500 example in FIG. 5 and the table t2 view of table A 600 example in FIG. 6, the updateview query task 802 does not provide for a selection of column sources because an updateview includes all column sources of the table A object 402. In contrast to the table t3 update of table A 700 example, the table t4 updateview of table A 800 does not add a column source M 708, a column M array 712 and a redirection index 710 but instead adds a column M formula 808 column source storage 406. For every query task that accesses t4, the column M formula 808 can be rerun which can be less efficient than a one-time creation of column source M 808, which would only require a one time calculation when column source M is first created.

It will be appreciated that updateview, like update, can be used to append a column to a table. An updateview can append the column through the use of a formula. An updateview does not allocate RAM or compute values. As a result, updateview can perform well when (1) tables are enormous because updateview does not require the allocation of memory for data copies or (2) only a small fraction of the rows is accessed because running a formula against only a fraction of the rows may not be processor intensive. An updateview may not perform as well when columns are very expensive to compute and are repeatedly accessed. It will be appreciated that an updateView is a form of view provided for convenience, a view operation containing all of the original columns plus the additional columns provides equivalent functionality.

It will be appreciated that the modules, processes, systems, and sections described above can be implemented in hardware, hardware programmed by software, software instructions stored on a nontransitory computer readable medium or a combination of the above. A system as described above, for example, can include a processor configured to execute a sequence of programmed instructions stored on a nontransitory computer readable medium. For example, the processor can include, but not be limited to, a personal computer or workstation or other such computing system that includes a processor, microprocessor, microcontroller device, or is comprised of control logic including integrated circuits such as, for example, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like. The instructions can be compiled from source code instructions provided in accordance with a programming language such as Java, C, C++, C#.net, assembly or the like. The instructions can also comprise code and data objects provided in accordance with, for example, the Visual Basicm™ language, a specialized database query language, or another structured or object-oriented programming language. The sequence of programmed instructions, or programmable logic device configuration software, and data associated therewith can be stored in a nontransitory computer-readable medium such as a computer memory or storage device which may be any suitable memory apparatus, such as, but not limited to ROM, PROM, EEPROM, RAM, flash memory, disk drive and the like.

Furthermore, the modules, processes systems, and sections can be implemented as a single processor or as a distributed processor. Further, it should be appreciated that the steps mentioned above may be performed on a single or distributed processor (single and/or multi-core, or cloud computing system). Also, the processes, system components, modules, and sub-modules described in the various figures of and for embodiments above may be distributed across multiple computers or systems or may be co-located in a single processor or system. Example structural embodiment alternatives suitable for implementing the modules, sections, systems, means, or processes described herein are provided below.

The modules, processors or systems described above can be implemented as a programmed general purpose computer, an electronic device programmed with microcode, a hard-wired analog logic circuit, software stored on a computer-readable medium or signal, an optical computing device, a networked system of electronic and/or optical devices, a special purpose computing device, an integrated circuit device, a semiconductor chip, and/or a software module or object stored on a computer-readable medium or signal, for example.

Embodiments of the method and system (or their sub-components or modules), may be implemented on a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element, an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmed logic circuit such as a PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, or the like. In general, any processor capable of implementing the functions or steps described herein can be used to implement embodiments of the method, system, or a computer program product (software program stored on a nontransitory computer readable medium).

Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosed method, system, and computer program product (or software instructions stored on a nontransitory computer readable medium) may be readily implemented, fully or partially, in software using, for example, object or object-oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer platforms. Alternatively, embodiments of the disclosed method, system, and computer program product can be implemented partially or fully in hardware using, for example, standard logic circuits or a VLSI design. Other hardware or software can be used to implement embodiments depending on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the systems, the particular function, and/or particular software or hardware system, microprocessor, or microcomputer being utilized. Embodiments of the method, system, and computer program product can be implemented in hardware and/or software using any known or later developed systems or structures, devices and/or software by those of ordinary skill in the applicable art from the function description provided herein and with a general basic knowledge of the software engineering and computer networking arts.

Moreover, embodiments of the disclosed method, system, and computer readable media (or computer program product) can be implemented in software executed on a programmed general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like.

It is, therefore, apparent that there is provided, in accordance with the various embodiments disclosed herein, methods, systems and computer readable media for query task choices based on system efficiency tradeoffs.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,974, entitled “DATA PARTITIONING AND ORDERING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,975, entitled “COMPUTER DATA SYSTEM DATA SOURCE REFRESHING USING AN UPDATE PROPAGATION GRAPH” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,979, entitled “COMPUTER DATA SYSTEM POSITION-INDEX MAPPING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,980, entitled “SYSTEM PERFORMANCE LOGGING OF COMPLEX REMOTE QUERY PROCESSOR QUERY OPERATIONS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,983, entitled “DISTRIBUTED AND OPTIMIZED GARBAGE COLLECTION OF REMOTE AND EXPORTED TABLE HANDLE LINKS TO UPDATE PROPAGATION GRAPH NODES” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,984, entitled “COMPUTER DATA SYSTEM CURRENT ROW POSITION QUERY LANGUAGE CONSTRUCT AND ARRAY PROCESSING QUERY LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,985, entitled “PARSING AND COMPILING DATA SYSTEM QUERIES” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,987, entitled “DYNAMIC FILTER PROCESSING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,988, entitled “DYNAMIC JOIN PROCESSING USING REAL-TIME MERGED NOTIFICATION LISTENER” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,990, entitled “DYNAMIC TABLE INDEX MAPPING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,991, entitled “QUERY TASK PROCESSING BASED ON MEMORY ALLOCATION AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,993, entitled “A MEMORY-EFFICIENT COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC UPDATING OF JOIN PROCESSING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,995, entitled “QUERY DISPATCH AND EXECUTION ARCHITECTURE” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,996, entitled “COMPUTER DATA DISTRIBUTION ARCHITECTURE” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,997, entitled “DYNAMIC UPDATING OF QUERY RESULT DISPLAYS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,998, entitled “DYNAMIC CODE LOADING” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/154,999, entitled “IMPORTATION, PRESENTATION, AND PERSISTENT STORAGE OF DATA” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,001, entitled “COMPUTER DATA DISTRIBUTION ARCHITECTURE” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,005, entitled “PERSISTENT QUERY DISPATCH AND EXECUTION ARCHITECTURE” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,006, entitled “SINGLE INPUT GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE CONTROL ELEMENT AND METHOD” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,007, entitled “GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE DISPLAY EFFECTS FOR A COMPUTER DISPLAY SCREEN” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,009, entitled “COMPUTER ASSISTED COMPLETION OF HYPERLINK COMMAND SEGMENTS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,010, entitled “HISTORICAL DATA REPLAY UTILIZING A COMPUTER SYSTEM” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,011, entitled “DATA STORE ACCESS PERMISSION SYSTEM WITH INTERLEAVED APPLICATION OF DEFERRED ACCESS CONTROL FILTERS” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

Application Ser. No. 15/155,012, entitled “REMOTE DATA OBJECT PUBLISHING/SUBSCRIBING SYSTEM HAVING A MULTICAST KEY-VALUE PROTOCOL” and filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 14, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

While the disclosed subject matter has been described in conjunction with a number of embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations would be, or are, apparent to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. Accordingly, Applicants intend to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, equivalents and variations that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for maximizing memory and processing efficiencies in a computer system, the system comprising: one or more processors; computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer; creating and storing, in a computer storage, data in a plurality of column sources; creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to a first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage; at the remote query processor, providing operations including: a select query operation, the select query operation comprising: receiving a select query task to assign to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index mapping the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; a view query operation, the view query operation comprising: receiving a view query task to assign to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object; accessing in the computer memory the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate a result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory; an update query operation, the update query operation comprising: receiving an update query task to assign to a fourth table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fourth table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fourth table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula; an updateview query operation, the updateview query operation comprising: receiving an updateview query task to assign to a fifth table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fifth table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fifth table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate a result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.
 3. A system for appending columns in a query, the system comprising: one or more processors; computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer; creating and storing, in a computer storage, data in a plurality of column sources; creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to a first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage; at the remote query processor, providing operations including: an update query operation, the update query operation comprising: receiving an update query task to assign to a second table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula; an updateview query operation, the updateview query operation comprising: receiving an updateview query task to assign to a third table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate a result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.
 5. A system for processing columns in a query, the system comprising: one or more processors; computer readable storage coupled to the one or more processors, the computer readable storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: sending a digital request from a client computer to a remote query processor on a query server computer; creating and storing in a computer storage, data in a plurality of column sources; creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to a first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage; at the remote query processor, providing operations including: a select query operation, the select query operation comprising: receiving a select query task to assign to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index mapping the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; a view query operation, the view query operation comprising: receiving a view query task to assign to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object; accessing in the computer memory the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering.
 7. A method for maximizing memory and processing efficiencies in a computer system, the method comprising: creating and storing in a computer storage data in a plurality of column sources; creating and storing in a computer memory a first table object index mapping data in the plurality of column sources to a first table object, the computer memory having faster access time than the computer storage; providing operations including: a select query operation, the select query operation comprising: receiving a select query task to assign to a second table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the high-speed computer memory separate from the computer storage, the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory, a copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage a second table object index mapping the copy of the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a subset of rows assigned to the second table object, thereby eliminating the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula and providing faster access to the subset of rows assigned to the second table object; a view query operation, the view query operation comprising: receiving a view query task to assign to a third table object a subset of rows from one or more of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the third table object; accessing in the high-speed computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the third table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate a result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory; an update query operation, the update query operation comprising: receiving an update query task to assign to a fourth table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fourth table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fourth table object; storing a formulaic column in the computer storage including storing a result set from executing a formula in the form of a map, thereby reducing the use of repeat processing time for re-executing the formula; an updateview query operation, the updateview query operation comprising: receiving an updateview query task to assign to a fifth table object a subset of rows from all of the plurality of column sources from the first table object; creating and storing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage, the fifth table object; accessing in the computer memory separate from the computer storage the first table object index to the subset of rows assigned to the fifth table object; storing a formulaic column in computer storage including storing a formula configured to generate a result set, thereby reducing the use of computer memory.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first table object index is arranged according to a strict ordering. 